noirish Los Angeles

[ethereal_reality]

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The following three photographs are being sold together on eBay. .. I have a question about the location of two of them.


"Antique Photographs of Los Angeles from late 1800s/early 1900s - Pasadena, LA"




The first is a mystery reservoir that is squared off not unlike a swimming pool.


eBay..(note the day trippers on the trail)

Does anyone recognize it?







The next photograph is of an impressive Grotto that seems a bit out of place.



eBay

My guess is it's the old Busch Gardens in South Pasadena BUT the area seems too flat and it doesn't match any of the photographs that I've seen of the famous tourist attraction.





The last photo is a very good one of Hollenbeck Park located in what is now known as Boyle Heights.


eBay

As most of you know it's still there.

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[Martin Pal]

Originally Posted by riichkay

Re: the Scandals building on La Brea, when I got to town in '73 I would go by the place frequently, it was vacant but the signage was still up for this place....Edna Earle's Fog Cutter.
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I'd heard of the Fog Cutter, but was unaware that was it's location!

[Martin Pal]

Originally Posted by ethereal_reality

.
I see Penelope Pitstop is moonlighting again.
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Heh! That made me laugh out loud!

Originally Posted by ethereal_reality

Go
here to see how the building looks today. It's now the 7969 Theater.
.
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I thought it was the Delilah restuarant/supperclub? TripAdvisor

USAResaurants

[GaylordWilshire]

I stumbled upon an article dated Jan 11, 1940, featuring this interesting looking building, thinking it might be of interest to Noirishers, but wasn't surprised to find that it had already been discovered-- ER found it a decade ago:

Originally Posted by ethereal_reality

welcome gemnewt! -hopefully we'll locate that house for you.


I came across this photograph on an old cd of mine today. At first I thought it must be a city hall
or some other municipal building.


unknown

It turns out, this impressive Mission Revival structure is the first filtration plant built by the Metropolitan Water District.
(we discussed the water district's downtown headquarters only yesterday)

Today it's known as the F.E. Weymouth Treatment Plant. Located in La Verne CA on the eastern edge of
Los Angeles County, it processes 520 million gallons a day.


below: HDR images of the treatment facility. (I'm not a big fan of HDR, but these are impressive)







http://www.mwdh2o.com/peopleinteract...ly/main07.html

The Metropolitan Water District's website says the filtration plant was expected to become a tourist attraction.
Accordingly, the Zeolite (softening) Building is the plant's most ornate, with cathedral-like ceilings and an alter-like fountain
of extravagant tile work. The plant's tower rises 120 feet and disguises a large tank that was part of the process of softening
the mineral-rich Colorado River water.
__

[ethereal_reality]

.


What a magnificent place! ..I had somehow forgotten all about it.

Thanks for reminding us GW.


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[Flyingwedge]

Originally Posted by ethereal_reality

.

"Antique Photographs of Los Angeles from late 1800s/early 1900s - Pasadena, LA"


The first is a mystery reservoir that is squared off not unlike a swimming pool.


eBay..(note the day trippers on the trail)

Does anyone recognize it?
.

The tower and bridge match this photo ["Ellen Lorene (Pinkie) Lemberger leans on the bridge leading to the tower in the Elysian Park reservoir, Los Angeles, 1901"]:



uclamss_1998_1636_001 @ UCLA


LATE CRX: This is the former Buena Vista Reservoir in Elysian Park, not the Elysian Reservoir in Elysian Park (Thanks, Mackerm!).

[ethereal_reality]

Bingo!..That's it. Thanks FW.


That little building is still there.


flickr

.

[ethereal_reality]

.
Now I have another question.


Are Lake Buena Vista and the Elysian Park Reservoir one and the same?


eBay

Reverse




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[odinthor]

LA Times, 7/16/1962.

Special bonus: See the ad in the above for 9009 Sunset, which NLA was just talking about recently.

[Scott Charles]

Originally Posted by ethereal_reality

Bingo!..That's it. Thanks FW.


That little building is still there.


flickr

.

I wonder if it's still really there, e_r.

Your flickr photo is from 2011, but the building doesn't appear on current day Google Maps, Bing Maps, Apple Maps, Yandex Maps, or MapQuest...


google maps

[Mackerm]

Originally Posted by ethereal_reality

.
Now I have another question.


Are Lake Buena Vista and the Elysian Park Reservoir one and the same?


.

Waterandpower

Your hunch is correct. Buena Vista Reservoir is now a playground. Buena Vista Meadow.

[Flyingwedge]

This photo of the Buena Vista Reservoir from the January 24, 1909, Los Angeles Herald is captioned, "Buena Vista Reservoir, beautiful sheet of placid water
hidden away in Elysian Park. This is a favorite spot for motorists who seek an hour of delightful seclusion."

The bridge and tower in the lower right corner, and the shape of the lake and the hill behind it, look like e_r's ebay photo above:



Newspapers.com


Here is the reservoir empty and next to the northbound Pasadena Freeway in 1956. I guess that's the old caretaker's house near the upper right corner:



March 16, 1956, Los Angeles Mirror @ Newspapers.com

[Scott Charles]

Originally Posted by ethereal_reality

.

I concur. WELCOME BACK Scott Charles!!!!

I was just reviewing the thread and noticed this post for the first time. Don't know how I missed it before!

Thank you, e_r!!

[ethereal_reality]

.

Westchester Labor Day Parade 1968.


eBay

Any Westerchesterians recognize this street corner?

note the two missles aimed at Catalina.

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[ethereal_reality]

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Here's an amazing snapshot.

"Photo Leimert Park Home Development Cars Woman Los Angeles CA 1920s."


eBay

Let's take a closer look at the billboard on the left.



I believe it says "Barker Bros." above the $795.




Unless I'm mistaken there is a service station on the corner behind the woman.



It's interesting to see the lone houses atop the hill. They are no doubt the first houses constructed in the new subdivision.



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[ethereal_reality]

.
Lastly here is an amazing panorama of a dinner dance at the Biltmore Hotel in 1940.


movieposters

Do any of you fine noirishers recognize anyone?






For search purposes - Warner Club - Sixth Annual Dinner Dance - Biltmore Bowl - Los Angeles - February 17, 1940

[Flyingwedge]

Originally Posted by ethereal_reality

.

Westchester Labor Day Parade 1968.


eBay

Any Westerchesterians recognize this street corner?

note the two missles aimed at Catalina.

.

This September 18, 1953, building permit indicates the J. J. Newberry's at the left edge was on the SWC of Sepulveda and La Tijera:



LADBS


That would put those Westchesterites or Westchesterers or whatever they are (Westchester is not on this list of local demonyms) in
what is now the Kohl's parking lot, with the photo looking sort of SE across well-defended La Tijera.

[Martin Pal]

A couple years ago I did a post about the Royal Room at 6700 Hollywood Blvd.; could never find a full-on shot of the place at the time, only in the background of other photos, or a glimpse of it's blade sign here and there.

https://skyscraperpage.com/forum/sho...ostcount=56838

Here's a couple I've discovered!


PhlipMershon

Caption: Oh how Hollywood once did swing! A group of jazz musicians, including Pete Daily and Joe Darensbourg, hold an impromptu jam session on the sidewalk outside The Royal Room, 1952. It was a premiere jazz room located at 6700 Hollywood Blvd.


I also saw this photo taken at night. The place has a large lighted sign wrapped around the corner of the building!

Alamy

[Martin Pal]

This Royal Room photo may have solved a mystery of sorts...

Originally Posted by ethereal_reality

. .just listed on eBay.
[...] nightlife along Hollywood Boulevard in 1959.


eBay

I recognize most everything but what is YAL?
Note how the Barker Bros. sign appears to be floating in front of the Roosevelt Hotel sign.
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Originally Posted by Martin Pal

Something doesn't look right with that YAL. Look at the bottom left corner of it. It almost looks like a square insert on the slide.
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Originally Posted by Earl Boebert

I think it's a sign on a framework that sits on the sidewalk in front of the movie theater.
Cheers,Earl
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Originally Posted by Lorendoc

Per the 1960 CD:
Shoe City was at 6666 Hollywood Bl, and at 6672 was the Hollywood Stationers and Typewriter Shop. The sign might be animated and advertising "Royal Typewriters."
Or, in between at 6670 Hollywood Bl was the Lucky Value Shop. Maybe what looks like a Y was actually a malformed V?
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Originally Posted by ethereal_reality

I think you're correct, Earl. . .and I believe Lorendoc is on to something with his ROYAL TYPEWRITERS suggestion.
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Originally Posted by Flyingwedge

The 1956 LA Street Address Directory shows a Royal Room restaurant at 6700 Hollywood Blvd., which could account
for the YAL we see.

There is a June 2, 1948, building permit to "construct and install neon sign" at that address. Although the sign on the
permit says "Royal Room," it is a different design than the orange YAL.
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Originally Posted by Lorendoc

- Many possibilities although the sign seems rather grand for a bar, a typewriter store and an "outlet store."
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So, the YAL we see in the b&w photo I posted matches the YAL design in the color photo. So I'd say it's definitely the Royal Room neon. And the different design in the permit that Flyingwedge mentions could be for one of the other two Royal Room signs on the building; the front sign and the blade sign.

However, that doesn't explain why it doesn't look right in the color photo. Is it possible that the neon sign was being dismantled? How long did the Royal Room last? The color photo is from 1959 (Some Like It Hot was playing.) If the sign was being dismantled, would it still be lit up if that truck is hauling it away on a steel frame of some sort? Or is it some kind of optical illusion?

[Flyingwedge]

Good eye, MP. The reason the sign looks different in the color photo may be because by that time the Royal Room had become
the Royal Scot. I think I can just barely see SCOT on the blade sign (to the right of the pink vertical line), and below the big orange
Y in YAL on Las Palmas we don't see ROOM as in your b/w photo, but three yellow letters, with the last one a T (as in SCOT ).




September 1, 1959, The Citizen-News @ Newspapers.com


The Royal Room, which opened April 6, 1948, appears to have gone out of business in 1958 or 1959, following at least two
tragedies (the fire was December 6, 1957):



March 28, 1958, Los Angeles Examiner @ Newspapers.com